The Kids & I have been watching the Winter Olympics from Sochi, Russia. During the opening ceremonies & throughout the games, whenever they’ve shown Russian President Vladimir Putin, The Girl has noted the stern look he always has on his face. “Seems like it will be a cold day in Hades when he smiles.” (Her Catholic upbringing makes her cringe at the word “hell.”)

During a piece on the Russian Figure Skating Team who won Gold, Putin was shown hugging one of the figure skaters & a brief smile crossed his face. In a quiet voice from the other end of the couch, I heard The Girl: “Hades better get a sweater.”

The Boy: “I can’t wait to have kids so you can say things to them like, ‘I remember when all this was farmland & a dollar cost a nickel.’ Then you’ll slap yourself on the knee, chuckle & say to yourself, ‘Good one, Nana.'”

Laser Khet is a game that involves moving mirrored pieces to direct your laser until it hits your opponent’s Pharaoh. As I was playing with The Boy, I realized he had caught onto my strategy so I was taking a moment to see if I could figure out what his next move was going to be.